Pages

Monday, 29 February 2016

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for giving me
this book to review.

In the desert nation of Miraji humans rule, but mystical
beasts still roam in the wild using their magic. In the dead-end town of
Dustwalk, Amani is desperate to escape before she is married to her uncle. Disguised
as a boy she enters a shooting competition to get enough money to move to her
dream city. While there she meets the mysterious foreigner Jin, but he is hiding
a secret and is wanted for treason. Amani has no idea that her life is going to
change forever in an unexpected way.

Rebel of the Sands is a very enjoyable YA fantasy novel but
unlike most fantasy novels it was set in a mixture of American western and Arabian
setting. It was well written and fast paced but I think it would have benefited
with a map. It had adventure, romance and magic but it was a bit predictable
and did drag a bit in the middle.

Amani wants to be free and to be able to make her own decisions,
she is honest, has a smart mouth and a bit of an attitude. Jin is charming,
keeps things close to his chest and I could not be sure of his motives but I did
like the banter between him and Amani. There is a large group of secondary
characters including Shazad, Bahi and Hala but because they were introduced in
the second half of the book we did not get to know them too well and I hope
this changes in the next book.

This is a really good book and I am looking forward to
reading the sequel. I would recommend Rebel of the Sands to fans of Fire and
Thorns by Rae Carson and Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M Lee.

Saturday, 27 February 2016

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for
giving me this book to review.

Arin has sailed home and is in the middle of an uneasy alliance
with Dacra to wage war against the Empire to stop them from taking over Herran
again. Kestrel has been discovered as a spy and has been sent to the Tundra’s
brutal mines, she is desperate to escape but is drugged to keep her compliant. When
the war becomes more deadly, Kestrel and Arin find themselves in positions of
power they did not really want and with so much to lose can anyone be a winner?

The Winner’s Kiss is the likable final book in the Winner’s
trilogy. It had romance, action and drama but in spite of this it is my least
favourite of the series. I am not sure what changed but I was not sure that I
cared about how the story ended or what happened to the character.

Kestrel is proud, manipulative and loves a gamble but she
also has a good heart and is intelligent, and feels conflicted about her father
as he betrayed her but she still loves him. Arin is protective of his people
and those he cares for, but I felt he had too much angst despite him having
grown as a character since the first book. My favourite character is Roshar as
he is cocky and witty but he can be serious when the need arises, making him a
good friend to Arin.

I did enjoy this book even though I did struggle with it and
I am looking forward to reading more from Rutkoski. I would recommend The
Winner’s Kiss to fans of the rest of this series.

Wednesday, 24 February 2016

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin (UK) Limited for giving
me this book to review.

Since losing her Soulfinding abilities Yelena has never
been more vulnerable and now, nowhere is safe, especially with the growing
discord between Ixia and Sitia. Valek is determined to protect Yelena but finds
his loyalties conflicted as the Commander is acting usually stern and is
keeping things form Valek. As Valek and Yelena try and find out more about what
is happening they discover a plan that is far more sinister than they could
have imagined.

Night Study is the brilliant 2nd/5th
book in this series as it is just as good, and better than some of the Study
Novels and does not suffer from middle book syndrome. It has romance a complex
story and many twists which I did not see coming. The POV was from Yelena,
Valek, Janco and Leif, which I felt helped tell the story and what was
happening. Every chapter ended on a cliff-hanger which made it hard to put down
and very fast paced.

Yelena is struggling without her magic and with so many
unknowns in her life, but like in all of the books I admire her loyalty and
inner strength but I do wish in one book she wouldn’t be the target. Valek is
struggling with his loyalties and learning more about himself and who he wants
to be, and unlike Shadow Study I preferred his POV as we got to see how he
handled many changes and surprises in his life.

While Yelena and Valek were together more in this book than
most of the others I wish they did not always separate as they work really well
together and are such a brilliant couple. I also liked Leif’s chapters and
getting to know how his mind worked but, like other reviewers have mentioned,
this chapters did make me hungry with all his descriptions of food.

Fans of the Study series will not be disappointed as it is
one of Maria’s strongest books to date. I am really looking forward to reading
Dawn Study as I can’t wait to see how this series ends (please be nice Maria V
Snyder). I would recommend Night Study to fans of Maria V Snyder’s books,
especially those set in the Ixia/Sitia universe.

Sunday, 21 February 2016

After losing her parents in the Twin Towers terrorist attacks,
Honoria along with her brother, aunt and uncle move from New York City to the
small farming of Arnn. But Arnn has a legend about Witchwood Hollow, where if
you venture into the mysterious forest the witch will trap your soul there
forever. As Honoria discovers more about Witchwood Hollow and the people who
have gone missing in it will she be able to discover the truth?

Escape from Witchwood Hollow is a good paranormal book but
it is not a happy one which it is not surprising as the story deals with the
9/11 terrorist attacks. It is fast paced, a hint of romance and has three
different POV from three different times. It had twists and was a well written
and thought through story.

Honoria is obviously depressed and misses her parents and
old life, but she is also smart and really relatable. Albertine is protective, resilient
and devoted to her family especially her sister. Lady Clifford is lonely and I felt
sorry for her and understood her motives, even if I did not agree with her decisions.
The one character which seemed really underdeveloped was Honoria’s brother,
Geoffrey, as he did not seem to be affected by his parent’s death.

I did not see or expect the ending and I look forward to
reading more by this author. I would recommend Escape from Witchwood Hollow to
fans of YA paranormal novels.

Tuesday, 16 February 2016

With her mother’s life hanging in the balance, Scarlett is
devastated – and done with being in the dark. She wants answers, all of
them.
But when was her pursuit of the truth ever straightforward?
Pulling a single thread impels a great unravelling. And each revelation will
force Scarlett to rethink what she thought she knew about the Ceruleans, the
Fallen, her family – herself.
All that came before was a mere prelude to this, the last journey. From London
to Twycombe to Hollythwaite to Cerulea, Scarlett will be stalked by the ghosts
of what has been, what may have been and what may come to pass. Until she
reaches the place where it all began, and it all must end.
But in the final reckoning, none will survive unscathed. And some will not
survive at all.
In this explosive conclusion to The Ceruleans series, all must be defined by
their actions: sinner, saint… or something more beautiful entirely?

Review

Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully is the really enjoyable final
book in the Ceruleans series. Unlike the previous book there was more of an
even mix of action, romance and drama. It was very fast paced as I wanted to
know how the series ended and it had a lot of twists that I did not see coming,
especially with Sienna. I also liked that we got to know more about the Fallen
and the beliefs they live by.

I like how much Scarlett has changed and has discovered an
inner strength and confidence but is still the same person we have grown to
know over the past 4 books, and I am glad she had finally learnt that lying to
the people she loves does not help anyone. I also liked that we got to know
Sienna better and her motives for the choices she has made even if I did not
agree with some of them.

Luke is still caring and protective and it is nice to see
how supportive he is of Scarlett and has come to terms with who she is. I feel
sorry for Jude as he is on an emotional roller coaster throughout the book and
does not seem able to catch a break.

I loved the ending and I did not see it coming. I am
looking forward to reading what Megan writes next. I recommend Darkly, Deeply,
Beautifully to fans of the rest of this series and the Ceruleans series to fans
of the Benedicts series by Joss Stirling and the Holders series by Julianna
Scott

Monday, 15 February 2016

Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for giving me
this book to review.

Synopsis

It’s a
child’s toy – what could go wrong?

While playing with a spirit board, two sorority sisters
summon the vindictive spirits of three women brutally murdered by a psychopath.
Join Logan, Kacie and the rest of the Orion Circle as they delve into the
disturbing events of the past to find the key to free the spirits.

But this isn’t any ordinary haunting. These ghosts were banished
before, and now they returned more powerful than anyone could have imagined.
Anger breeds hatred and hatred leads to darkness - these phantoms are on the
verge of losing their last spark of humanity and becoming completely lost to
the shadows.

Can Logan and Kacie convince the tortured souls to embrace the
light and move on, or will the spirits succumb to the hypnotic pull of evil,
leading to an eternity of torment and suffering?

Review

Twisted sisters is the really enjoyable second book in the
Orion Circle series but it is also dark and has some disturbing themes. It is
very fast read with action, romance and drama. Unlike the last book this has
the POV from both Kacie and Logan.

Kacie has grown in strength and confidence since the last
book and is determined to help others in any way she can. I like that we got to
know Logan better, as in the previous book it felt like he was mostly there
just for the romance, we have learned how protective, quick tempered and
sensitive he is. I also like that Logan and Kacie’s romance was normal, as they
have issues in this book and are not
stating their undying love after only dating two months. I like the
comradery between the Orion Circle and how they were there for each other.

I really liked this book and I am looking forward to
reading the next book in this series and other books Kimber Leigh Wheaton
writes next. I would recommend Twisted Sisters to fans of the first book in the
Orion Circle series Tortured Souls.

Saturday, 13 February 2016

Jenna is coming closer to becoming what she has dreamed of
doing, becoming the first Lady Knight in centuries. While the crown and others
support her, others do not, including her father, who has disinherited both
Jenna and her brother, and many nobles want her locked in the mage towers. With
Jenna involved in palace politics and peace talks Jenna may ultimately need to choose
where her loyalties lie?

To Serve the King is an enjoyable second book and I did not
see some of the story points coming. I found this book very slow paced but
there was more world building. The main problem I had with this book is that it
seemed that the ultimate story arc for this series changed between To Play the
Lady and this book.

Jenna annoyed me in this book as she was easily distracted
from whatever task she had at hand, acted before she thought and did not seem
willing to fight for what she wanted. I also wasn’t a fan of the romance as I thought
she liked Sebastian and he would be the series love interest, but that changed
at the beginning of the book and the new love interest came out of nowhere and
the age gap felt too big considering Jenna’s age.

Despite the problems I had with this book I did like it,
and I am looking forward to reading the next book. I would recommend To Serve
the King to fans of the first book To Play the Lady.

Thursday, 11 February 2016

Jenna never wanted to be a queen’s lady at the castle of
Sevalia, as she is a tomboy and the first commoner to serve the queen. Jenna is
hoping to have a quiet life at court but this is dashed when her two unique
magical abilities are discovered. With a powerful dark mage who seems to have a
sinister interest in Jenna, she will have to use all of her wits and magic to
survive.

To Play the Lady is a likeable YA fantasy novel which has
enjoyable story full of plot twists, some I saw coming, interesting magic and
court politics. However it is not the fastest paced book. The main problem with
this book was that the characters acted older than they were, and while I know
that some 13 year olds do act like this, especially in a fantasy world where
people are expected to marry young, I felt uncomfortable reading it.

Jenna is a tomboy, who was a bit too good at everything and
felt like an outcast as she is different from everyone else in the castle. The secondary
characters are a bit forgettable apart the love interest Sebastian, who is
friendly and awkward, and I hope in the next book there will more character
growth.

I am looking forward to reading the sequel To Serve the
King. I would recommend To Play the Lady to fans of Tamora Pierce and similar
YA fantasy novels.

Monday, 8 February 2016

On Tselaya Mountain, all humans transform in to animals as
they age. In her forties, Esha is unmarried, alone and is struggling to gather
enough money for her retirement before she is more goat than human. When a wild
phoenix steals her expensive heirloom, the khukuri knife, she seeks help from
Atarangi, a diplomat with speaks with animals. They have to climb the mountains
to reach the phoenix’s territory and are hopeful they can convince it to give
Esha’s knife back but why would a phoenix want her heirloom?

Tinder Stricken is an OK fantasy with an interesting story concept,
with people who turn into animals as they grow older and that eating certain
foods can let a person speak another language or to animals. Even though it is
a story of self-discovery and not judging others, I struggled getting into it and
for a shortish novel it look me a while to read.

Esha has had to struggle for everything is her adult life
and she is lonely, but during the story she becomes more accepting with the
help of the other characters especially Atarangi. However, I did find it hard
to connect with the other characters in this novel.

I really struggled with Tinder Stricken but I have a
feeling that had more to with me than this book.

Friday, 5 February 2016

Nora’s life is turned upside down when she and her friends
go on a weekend getaway in a remote Victorian house. When they open a door on
the third floor, they enter an unfamiliar world called The Demon’s Grave and to
escape they must complete 6 nightmarish challenges, but those who fail will
never leave. With the demon knowing about her past and her sister, Nora is not
sure whether is this is real or all in her mind.

The Demon’s Grave is an OK book but I felt it was too much
of a horror novel for me which meant I found it very hard to get into. Nora is
a character who is struggling with a lot of issues but like with most of the
characters I felt she was underdeveloped. This dark horror story was not for me
but I would recommend to fans of this genre.

Wednesday, 3 February 2016

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for giving me this
book to review.

With Tulla under siege from Draewulf’s army, Nym, Eogan and
a handful of others rush to warn Cashlin’s queen, only to discover that it may
be too late to for this eerie kingdom. With the Luminescents searching through Nym’s
past, the queen is looking into her future and Nym is given 3 choices to defeat
Draewulf, but none of them are guaranteed and the costs might be great. Nym is
raising an army of peasants but will this along with her elemental powers be
enough to stop Draewulf and his dark plans?

Siren’s Song is the enjoyable concluding book in the Storm
Siren trilogy. It is action-packed, romantic and fast paced but I did not feel
like it was as good as the first novel. As I had not read the first two books
in a while I found it hard to remember what was happening and who everyone is.

Nym is resilient, stubborn and is determined to stop
Draewulf, but she is also compassionate, selfless and wants to protect people.
Eogan is brave and is still affected by being possessed by Draewulf, however, I
did get annoyed at him keeping things to himself and not talking to Nym. I also
like Kel as he was sweet and cute and behaved just like most 7 year olds in
that situation would do.

This is a good ending to the series and I look forward to reading
more books from Mary Weber. I would recommend Siren’s Song to fans of the first
two novels in this series.